What are the options for single people when they go traveling? Given the choice, most would prefer to travel with a companion, yet many travel alone by choice or out of necessity - and a growing percentage of them are women.

The hospitality industry has been paying attention to this trend. Hotels and tour operators are scrambling to cater to this growing market of solo female travellers with an increasing number of female-friendly or female-only accommodations around the world. From female-only hotels to those with wings designated for females, or rooms especially equipped for use by females, hotel management has been paying attention to feedback from their female guests. They are equipping rooms with items like hair dryers, ironing boards, irons, quality bath products, eye make-up remover, illuminated mirrors, and extra shelf space in the bathroom. Beds may have hypoallergenic duvets to be snuggled under while unwinding with complimentary herbal tea. Security is the main concern for most solo females, so features like spy-holes in doors, chain locks, swipe-cards, well-lit car parks, CCTV, 24-hour security, and security guards are much appreciated.

Business women are one group which complains of feeling vulnerable. They may find themselves with keys to rooms at the end of long, dark corridors or in parts of the hotel which are less secure. Women tend to dislike eating alone in restaurants and many hotels are responding by providing in-room cooking facilities. It is up to the solo traveller to seek out the availability of female-friendly hotels at their destinations. Even if it is not 'female-friendly' there's no harm in requesting a room in a more secure area of the hotel. Enter 'Safe Travel for Women' or a similar phrase into a search engine and a wealth of information and links to hotels and related sites will pop up.

This new trend is especially liberating for women who are required by their religion to cover themselves. They can benefit greatly from female-only hotels staffed entirely by females. It means they can order room service, relax in casual clothes or use the spa facilities without fear of being seen by a man. Apart-hotels are another option for those who wish to be self-contained and enjoy a higher level of privacy.

20 Top Tips

* Beware of accepting drinks or food offered by strangers. Spiking of drinks and food has become a worldwide problem whether the motive is sexual assault, robbery, or both

* Avoid wearing expensive clothes and jewelery

* Beware of attracting the wrong type of male attention. Consider wearing a ring

* Keep an eagle-eye on luggage while engaged in activities such as checking into hotels or renting a car as these are vulnerable times when the solo traveler is often targeted

* Always appear calm, confident and in control (even if you don't feel that way!)

* Carry a mobile phone with plenty of credit or the means to top-up

* Arrange to travel during daylight when possible and avoid driving at night.

* Phone a reputable taxi company rather than risk an unknown street taxi

* Before leaving for a trip, research the best method for carrying cash and accessing money at your destination

* Make photocopies of the information page of your passport and keep separate from the passport. Have emergency contact numbers for your bank(s) and the number of the consulate or embassy at hand

* Use the 'Do Not Disturb' sign to deter anyone from entering your hotel room

* Leave your travel itinerary, hotel details and phone number with family or friends

* Know the acceptable behavior, dress code, and expected etiquette at your destination country

* Remove name badge after business meetings and avoid displaying personal information on luggage or personal property

* Pack as light as possible. Don't struggle with a heavy suitcase which may not be a problem at the airport, but a burden on trains, buses or boats

* Carry a lightweight pashmina or shawl to cover up in countries where this may be a problem, especially for entering religious buildings or shrines

* Carry a supply of sanitizer wipes and tissues

* If taking prescription medicines, ask a chemist to write down all names the drug is known by, or the drug name in your destination country. See your doctor before travel and arrange for all necessary vaccinations well in advance

* Before booking a hotel or other accommodation check traveler review websites (Return the favor when you return by writing reviews on your accommodation)

* Take out travel insurance and ensure that all intended activities are covered

This information is intended only as a guide and is not a comprehensive list. One thing is for certain though…The specialist tour operators and hotels focusing on the female-friendly aspect of travel will be backing a winner…as long as they treat their female guests well. It's no secret that women are the great communicators of the world and if they are happy they'll provide free advertising by spreading the word!

About the Author

Jean Andrews is a freelance writer living in the UK. She regularly contributes articles for TIA Ltd who offer single trip travel insurance.

 

Everyone has a personal record for the amount they’ve spent on a hotel room. Whether it was for a one-off treat or just because everywhere else in town was full, most people have sampled a luxury hotel at one point or another. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it hurts. In either case, when the bill came, you probably didn’t want to look!

But for the super rich, the cost of our so-called luxury accommodation is just part of the package. All around the world, luxury hotel suites are designed to cater to this elite, with every imaginable feature, priceless furnishings, lavish service, and a price to match. These boutique hotels are the playgrounds of the rich and famous when they travel abroad – celebrities, millionaires, pop stars, heads of state and royalty are the most frequent residents…Some of them pay and others are invited. Here are five of the most expensive luxury hotel suites in the world.

Presidential Suite, Hotel Martinez
Price: $18,500 a night

Cannes is Europe’s answer to Hollywood, so it’s no surprise that it contains a luxury hotel suite with this kind of price tag. Decorated in an Art Deco style, it measures 8,000 square feet in total. The wraparound terrace (which can hold over 100 people) is 2000 square feet on its own, and has views of the entire Bay of Cannes. Other features include a Turkish bath, personal sauna, 24 hour on call butler and a free bar – though breakfast is not included in your bill.

Guests at this famous hotel have included Jodie Foster, Francis Ford Coppola and Monica Belluci. One Saudi sheik liked the Presidential Suite so much that he wanted to hire it out for five years. The hotel, confident of being able to fill the suite in spite of its price, refused his request.

Imperial Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva
Price: $23,000 a night

You pay for security as much as luxury at this famous hotel suite in Geneva. Positioned next to the United Nations Headquarters and designed for travelling heads of state, the Imperial Suite features bullet proof glass and bedside alarm buttons, and can only be reached by a private elevator.

With views of Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, the suite contains five bathrooms, four bedrooms, a cocktail lounge, a library, its own Steinway grand piano and a mahogany dining table that can comfortably seat 26 guests. It costs approximately $23,000 a night. Breakfast is not included but the service can’t be argued with – when one guest requested a bed that could not fit in the lift, the hotel hired a crane to get it in the bedroom.

The Bridge Suite, Atlantis Hotel, Paradise Island
Price: $25,000 a night

The Bridge Suite sits on top of the bridge that connects the two Royal Towers in this resort on the aptly named Paradise Island. For $25,000 a night you get your own butler, entertainment centre, 50-foot bar lounge, marble baths and a décor described as conveying “regal majesty” by the hotel staff. For regal majesty, read lots of gilded mirrors and windows, golden sofas, and a ten-foot four-poster bed with hand-painted linen sheets. Subdued and tasteful it isn’t, but if you like to see some eye-watering opulence in your five figure luxury hotel suite, this may be the one for you.

Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons Hotel, New York
Price: $30,000

This boutique hotel spared no expense when it came to furnishing the penthouse on its 52nd floor. Gold thread curtains, walls inlaid with mother of pearl, onyx bathroom floors, and even a shark skin coffee table are all part of the package here, along with stunning views over Manhattan and even a waterfall in the so-called Zen room. For those who like a little more than the standard room service, this luxury hotel suite comes with unlimited treatments from an in-house masseuse, a butler on 24 hour duty and a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.

Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas
Price: $40,000

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Hugh Hefner’s name is attached to the ultimate in luxury hotel decadence. At a jaw dropping $40,000 a night, the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa is the world’s most expensive hotel suite, located (appropriately enough) in the Fantasy Tower of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Amongst the eccentric extras are an eight foot revolving bed with ceiling mirrors, an indoor waterfall, an exercise room, sauna, and a terrace pool projecting out over the edge of the Fantasy Tower with the Playboy Bunny logo stamped firmly in the centre.

About the Author

Stephanie Clarke is the Managing Director of Concierge Collection, providers of some of the finest luxury hotels in Europe. Stephanie and her team use their wealth of experience, expertise and contacts to achieve "Beyond Special". For Concierge Collection, luxury does not have to have a large price tag but the hotels do have to be unique.